About the book:
• Olympus is the home of the Greek gods, much like Amravati of the Hindu devas.
• Zeus, leader of Olympians, wields a thunderbolt like Indra and rides an eagle like Vishnu.
• The feats of the Greek hero Heracles, known to Romans as Hercules, reminded many of Krishna, as did his name, ‘Hari-kula-esha’ or lord of the Hari clan.
• The Greek epic of a husband sailing across the sea with a thousand ships to bring his wife, Helen, back from Troy seems strikingly similar to the story of Ram rescuing Sita from Lanka.
Is there a connection between Greek and Hindu mythology then? Does it have something to do with a common Indo-European root? Or maybe an exchange of ideas in the centuries that followed the arrival of Alexander the Great, when Greek emissaries travelled to the kingdoms of Mathura and Magadha?
In this book, mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik turns his attention to ancient Greek tales and explores a new world of stories. Long have Europeans and Americans retold Indic mythologies. It is time for Indians to reverse the gaze.
About the author:
Devdutt Pattanaik is a medical doctor by education, a leadership consultant by profession and a mythologist by passion. He has written and lectured extensively on the nature of sacred stories, symbols and rituals and their relevance in modern times. His books with Penguin India include Myth = Mithya: A Handbook of Hindu Mythology, Sita: An Illustrated Retelling of the Ramayana and Jaya: An Illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata. Devdutt’s unconventional approach and engaging style are evident in his lectures, books and articles.
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